


Recovery

by Thefandomwolf



Category: The Haunting of Hill House (TV 2018)
Genre: Emotional Comfort, Gen, Happy Ending, I'm packing this family full of love and support they deserve it, Luke Centric, Nightmares, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Recovery, Siblings, Spoilers if you haven't watched the whole show, Theo being a good sister, Trying to get better, love and support, luke is scared
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-10
Updated: 2019-01-06
Packaged: 2019-08-21 18:29:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16581794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thefandomwolf/pseuds/Thefandomwolf
Summary: After everything that thas happened Luke doesn't want to be alone, he can't handle being alone. He can feel the cold seeping into his bones, he can feel the stiffness in his limbs. The only thing that seems to make him feel any better is when he's around his siblings. They have a lot of things to work through so maybe this extra time together will provide them the ability to do so.Luke spends time with Theo, Steven, and Shirley and they give him the comfort he needs while also working through things that have affected them for years. In a story of recovery where everyone has made mistakes that have affected everyone else, they find their family once again.





	1. Luke and Theo

**Author's Note:**

> This will be three chapters long, with each chapter taking place at a different time. From the hospital to Luke's two years clean celebration Luke will spend time with each of his siblings. It will include heavy topics, owning up to oneself, and forgiving others and yourself. This will be completely Luke centric because I believe he has to work the most stuff out, and I want to see him move on and be happy with his family.

     Luke’s eyes open, he can already feel the cold seeping into his bones. His eyes search around the room, desperately looking for someone. The harsh, sterile walls of the room sting his eyes, the bleach white under fluorescent light don’t help his addled mind. He feels the cold start to seize around his lungs and his limbs feel stiff, his heart jumps up into his throat until he spots Theo. He almost instantly relaxes and a breath he didn’t know he was holding rushes out of his previously frozen lungs, he’s not alone. Theo seems to have dozed off, her dark hair lays messily on her shoulders and her cheek is smushed from where she is leaning it on her palm. After a few seconds, Theo stirs, perhaps awoken by the eyes watching her. She slowly opens her eyes and yawns. Her dark eyes tiredly look around before landing on Luke. She sits up, more awake now once she realizes that her brother is awake.

     “Hey, how are you feeling?” She asks in a soft voice, Luke shrugs, he honestly doesn’t know. She turns her head and scoffs to herself, “That was a stupid question, you just almost died, of course, you don’t know, how could you feel anything except being tired and in pain.” Luke shrugs again.

     “If it makes you feel better I would have asked the same question,” he tells her with an awkward half smile. She stares at him for a second, making him feel like squirming under gaze before she lets out a small chuckle. That sound makes him feel better, the cold isn’t nearly as pressing now. “Thanks for being here,” he says, drawing her attention to him again. 

     “Of course, you won’t have to be alone again until you choose to be.” He can’t help but smile at that sentence, a mixture of embarrassment and warmth fill him.   
She’s referring to something that happened earlier when he woke up. Hours ago Luke woke up in a panic, having had a nightmare that left him panting when he woke up. He truly was sent into a panic attack when there was no one around him and he could feel the cold attack his bones. He jostled the tubes and wires, the beeping of the monitors picked up speed as his heart rate increased and he started hyperventilating. Nurses rushed in but that did nothing but possibly make it worse. Steven noticed the commotion first, running to Luke’s room with his sisters following close behind. The siblings shoved their way through nurses to find Luke hyperventilating, rocking while clutching his head as sobs tore through his throat in between his panicked gasps for air. Steven and Theo reached him first and Steven grabbed Luke’s hands as Theo stood as close as possible, coaching Luke through his panic attack and giving Steven tips on how he could help. Shirley paced nearby and explained to the workers that they had the situation under control. After Luke had calmed down enough to breathe he begged them not to leave him, that he couldn’t live through anyone else leaving him. All their hearts broke, devested by their brothers panic and fear, and by the to close realness of that fear that sat next to their heart as well. They promised that they wouldn’t leave him alone, and so far they’ve kept that promise even by taking shifts while he sleeps. 

     Luke feels guilty for keeping them there but right now he’s immeasurably glad that someone is here with him. His relief must be evident because Theo drags her chair closer to him. She reaches out and squeezes his arm is a form of reassurance. Her hand feels so warm as if it was fighting the cold itself that resided in Luke’s body. Theo looks down before taking his hand in hers, “I know everything is fucked right now but you’re not alone, we’ll never leave you again.” 

     Luke can’t help but tear up and smile, he’s so grateful for his sister so much, those words take away the cold he’s been feeling, the cold he’s been fighting, ever since Nell died. He’s terrified of thinking about the cold returning, seeping into once again and freezing him from the inside out. He doesn’t know if the absence of his family causes the cold to creep in, or if the cold just signals that they have left. He doesn’t know if the cold goes away because of his family being close or if his family drives the cold away themselves just by being near him. It doesn’t matter, he’s too tired to think it all out and he’s still so weak so he squeezes her hand, hoping she’ll understand everything he can’t convey right now. 

     Somehow Theo appears to get it, smiling and squeezing his hand back. She reaches up and cradles her brother’s face. “I love you, I’m sorry about things that have happened in the past, but you won’t be alone for anything in the future.” She sounds so serious Luke tears up even more, threatening to spill down his cheeks. 

     “I love you too,” he says in a drained and quiet voice, “I’m so sorry that I messed everything up in the past, but I promise, I’ll get better, I’m getting better.” 

      Theo shakes her head, “You made mistakes but you’re still my brother. I’ll be there to help you. Me, Steven, Shirley, we’ll all be here to help you.” Something flashes behind her eyes, but Luke’s fatigued brained can’t decipher it quickly enough before it’s gone. 

     Trying to figure out what he saw takes its toll and he suddenly realizes how exhausted he is. “Hey,” Theo says, “It’s okay, you can go to sleep. The doctors said you need to rest. One of us will be here when you wake up.” Luke nods and his grip on her hand tightens before relaxing once more. She removes her hand from where it was holding her brother’s face and places it on their connected hands.

     “Thank you,” Luke whispers with such appreciation and love that Theo smiles. She stays there, watching as her brother’s eyes droop shut, his body relaxes, and his breathing slows. She settles more into her chair, making herself can comfortable as possible while not moving her hands an inch away from his. She can’t help but notice how Luke’s hands are warm now, not extremely, they should probably be warmer, but it’s such an improvement from when she first took his hands and felt ice. She sighs, glad that everything is okay. She’s not dumb, she knows there will be a lot of work before everyone is actually okay and she hasn’t even told Luke about dad yet but at least they now all have each other, and while they may be missing some members of their family at least they can rely on each other. No one in their family will ever have to feel alone again. 


	2. Luke and Steven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few months after the events of the House Luke is feeling the cold start to eat at him again, the stiffness returning to his bones. He heads to his big brother's house in hope of comfort.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After almost two whole months I'm back. Sorry to keep you all waiting. This one took me a little longer to get through as it deals with more emotional stuff. I hope it's enjoyable and thank you all for reading.

The chilly air nips at Luke as he is bathed in yellow light, trying to build up the courage to knock on the door that stood in front of him. The feeling of stiffening in his limbs urged him into a panic, his knuckles hitting the door repeatedly before he fully registered what he was doing. He pulled his hand back right as the door swung open, revealing his brother. Steven wore a blue long sleeve shirt and black pants, his round wire-framed glasses hang on the collar of his shirt. 

“Luke?” Steven asks, confusion in his voice as his brother stands still in front of him. Luke’s brain comes back online as he registers his brother’s presence and offers an awkward half smile as he fidgets with the hem of his green jacket. Steven takes in his brother's appearance, seeing the bags under his eyes, his fidgeting, and the nervous way he’s holding himself. He decides that Luke came here for a reason and it’s probably for comfort. God knows that even months after being in the house again they all are still a little shaken from it. “Do you want to come in?” he offers as he opens the door wider so Luke can come in.

Luke ducks in as his brother watches him. His hazel green eyes search the house. “Leigh’s not here, she’s visiting family,” Steve offers, noticing Luke’s searching eyes. He nods and shifts on his feet, not sure what to do. Steven puts his hand on Luke’s shoulder, trying to ignore his flinch, for both their sakes and gives him a comforting smile. “Come on,” he says, “my house is your house. Why don’t we talk on the couch?” Luke still feels unsure and nervous but he starts to feel the warmth of the house and the company he’s in sink into his skin. 

He remembers what his last visit was like, and he knows a lot has changed since then but it’s hard to shake the feeling of shame, anger, and disappointment that lingers like a hungry dog. He shakes his head as if he could physically shake away those feelings. His brother glances at him with concern but doesn’t say anything, he doesn’t want to pressure him into saying anything. 

Steven sits down on the couch and after a moment of hesitance Luke joins him. “Um, sorry to bother you. Didn’t realize how late it was.” Luke speaks up for the first time that night. He doesn't meet Steven’s eyes as he tries not to bounce his leg too much. 

“Hey, don’t apologize, it’s fine. I was up already. I’m glad you came over.” He hunches over to lower himself, trying to meet Luke’s eyes. “...Is there something you wanted to talk about?” Luke shrugs and looks away, focusing on the pictures in the room. There’s plenty of Steven and Leigh, a few of Shirley and her family, one or two of Theo, a beautiful picture of Nellie and one with all his siblings, all except him. He looks away before the weight of that photo starts to eat at him. His brother follows his eyes that linger on the full family photo, well almost a full family photo. “We should take a new picture soon,” Luke looks up to in confusion. Steven gestures to the family picture, “We should take a new one, get everyone together and get a picture of the family.” 

Luke nods, “When you do that you should send me a copy, I… I would really like one of you guys.” 

Steven’s eyebrows furrow and he puts a hand on Luke’s arm. “You would be in the picture too Luke, you’re a part of the family. I know we’ve had rough patches and I haven’t always been the most welcoming but I love you. Things have changed and you know what? I’ll call up Theo and Shirley tomorrow and ask them what time works best.” He squeezes his little brother’s arm reassuringly. 

Unfortunately Luke’s already shaking his head. “No Steve, That’s fine, I don’t need to be in any pictures.” He’s looking down and bouncing his leg, his arm resting on it causing it to bounce as well threatening to throw Steven’s hand off. 

Steve shakes his head, “No Luke you don’t understand. I want a picture with you. I want to stand here and look around and smile, seeing pictures of all of my family, everyone single one of them, and that’s not possible without you.” The intensity of his voice drives Luke to look up, meeting his equally intense yet loving eyes. 

“Steve I, I’ve messed up. I’ve fucked up really bad, I’ve hurt you, I’ve hurt Shirly, I’ve hurt Theo and Nell. I, Steve I don’t deserve to be a part of this family!” His voice cracks as he forces out painful words, as he grits out his truth and a tightness starts to grip at his chest. Tears push at his eyes and he hates himself. He’s done bad things, he has messed up and that’s all he can see. 

Steve’s heart breaks and he pulls his brother into a hug, holding on to him tight and ignoring his own tightness in his chest. “Don’t say that Luke. I’m so sorry if I’ve ever made you feel like that but that is not true. You are a part of this family and you belong here with us, next to us every step of the way. Yeah, you’ve all mess up but we’ve all messed up. I messed up with how I treated you, with how I ran from my problems instead of facing them for years. I was a shitty brother sometimes and I’m sorry.”  
Luke chokes on a sob and he grips onto his brother’s sweater, quiet for a few long moments. “Well, I guess we were both shitty brothers sometimes,” he says with a sad, low chuckle. Steven laughs, wet and ragged sounding with how much he’s holding in at this moment.

“Yeah, yeah I guess we were.” 

Before they know it they both dissolve into borderline hysteria laughing so hard. Tears stream down Luke’s face and Steven’s not far from it. They're holding each other, Steven afraid to let go and Luke afraid that he will disappear if he lets him go even for a second. They eventually remember how to breathe and slowly lean off each other, though Luke obviously doesn’t want to, Steven needs a moment to think and breathe. After catching their breaths Luke looks up, into Steve’s eyes, “I’m glad you're my brother. I wouldn’t want anyone else. I love you.” 

Steve smiles and wraps an arm around Luke’s shoulders and draws him close, “I glad you’re my brother too, I don’t want to think of a life without you, I love you too.” Luke’s lip trembles and he buries his face in Steve’s collar. “You okay?” Steve asks, checking to make sure he didn’t overwhelm his brother. Luke nods but doesn’t say anything. Steve wraps his other arm around Luke as well, trying to make it more comfortable for both of them. 

Luke at the moment is taking up all the love and contact he's getting. He's not used to this and doesn’t want to ever lose it, and so far Steve’s done a good job at making him realize that as long as he wants it this can be the new norm for them. He feels drained, tired, but not the same feeling of cold and tiredness that he feels when he’s alone. It’s been a long night but his brother’s here now, he’s not alone. “I won’t ever leave you,” Steve says softly as if he can hear what Luke’s thinking. So Luke lets mind calm, his breathing slow, he's safe. Steven smiles down at his brother, noticing that he has dozed off. He can’t blame him, he’s been through a lot and Steven’s not 100% sure that Luke has gotten any good sleep since the house.

He runs his hand through Luke’s hair, remembering holding Luke in a similar matter just at a much younger age. He thinks Luke had a nightmare or something sometime before the house and he was the only one awake. He held him, just like he is now, and told him that he would always be there to protect him. That he wasn’t alone. He comforted Luke until he had fallen asleep and then he had put Luke back to bed. He had squeezed his little brother’s hand before going back to sleep in his own room.

This time Steven wasn’t leaving Luke, he settled down on the couch, getting comfortable because he knew he wasn’t moving the entire night. He was gonna keep his promise, he wasn’t going to leave him again. He takes one of his hands away from Luke to grab the throw on top of the couch. He tried his best in his awkward position to lay the blanket fully over his brother. Luke Shifted but didn’t wake up. Steven knew his back would probably be upset at him tomorrow but he didn’t care, he was happy. 

The next morning Leigh arrives back home. She enters the house and at first doesn't notice anything, pulling her bags inside. She heads to their bedroom to unpack when she finally sees them, Steven and Luke buddled up together, Luke practically laying on top of Steven. She smiles, they both look peaceful. She walks over to adjust the blanket which was starting to slip off of them. She has seen Steven happy many times but this was a different sort of happy, a happiness that was full and content and warm. Luke had a similar look, but he also looked like he had he had just been found. He wasn’t the nervous lonely Luke she was used to seeing. He is the Luke that isn’t alone anymore, he has his family that won’t let him feel that way again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. The next chapter will be the last, I don't know when I will post that, I'm hoping to do it in less the time it took to get around to this chapter but I can't make any promises. I'm honestly surprised by how people have read this, thank you all so much. See you all next chapter!


End file.
